Gumbo, Blues and Batiste: On The Record Finds Its Rhythm in New Orleans

By Episode 21, On The Record has moved beyond anticipation and into immersion. Brian Wise is no longer circling Jazz Fest—he’s in it, navigating its scale, its heat, and its constant, often punishing, decisions. Broadcasting from the French Quarter, Wise paints New Orleans as it always is: chaotic, convivial and faintly surreal. One moment it’s a communal gumbo dinner with locals and visiting friends; the next, pre-dawn screams echo through the street—mercifully revealed to be part of a film shoot rather than something more sinister. But Jazz Fest remains the centre of gravity. The conditions alone are a test: 30-degree heat, heavy humidity, and crowds pushing well beyond 80,000 across the main days. It’s a physical endurance exercise as much as a musical one, and Wise is candid about the toll—even for a seasoned attendee. Show Notes Brother Tyrone and The Mindbenders - 6/1/2025 - Maple Leaf Bar Live  Nicholas Payton + Butcher Brown - “All Blues” (Official Live Performance)  GA-20 - Naggin' On My Mind (with Charlie Musselwhite & Luther Dickinson) Ani DiFranco: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert  Joy Clark - Lesson (Official Music Video)  Glen David Andrews - Medley: Iko, Iko & Right Place, Wrong Time  Marcia Ball - They Don't Make Em Like That  Things They Like To Do by Jon Batiste Swamp show New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival April 26 2026  Ron Carter: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert  Lucinda Williams Bus To Baton Rouge (Album Version (New Mastering)  Bob Dylan I've Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You : Beacon Theatre Mar 2022  The Lowdown | Official Trailer | Ethan Hawke, Kyle MacLachlan, Keith David | FX  Elvis Costello Meets Jeff Tweedy in Mojo New Elvis Costello Boxset To Feature A Wealth Of Never Before Heard Punk Era Recordings  Bruce Springsteen My City of Ruins (Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2006)